Shrewsbury man, 71, opening restaurant in Glen Rock

The Great American Melting Pot restaurant opening Monday will add outdoor seating and an ice cream parlor next year along the rail train in Glen Rock.

Paul Kuehnel

Gene Montanarelli may be 71 years old, but don’t suggest that the Shrewsbury resident should retire.

“What am I going to do, play golf? I hate golf,” Montanarelli said. “As long as I’m capable of working, I’m going to work.”

Owner Gene Montanarelli, who will open the Great American Melting Pot, right, on Monday, already ...more

Owner Gene Montanarelli, who will open the Great American Melting Pot, right, on Monday, already has plans for a space across the street. He hopes to open an ice cream shop with some live music next year.

Paul Kuehnel, York Daily Record

That’s why on Monday, Montanarelli will open the Great American Melting Pot on Main Street in Glen Rock at the site of the former Mignano Brothers restaurant, which closed in May.

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Montanarelli has owned construction companies, an advertising business, a pizzeria in Baltimore and even was a Shrewsbury Township supervisor, but the Great American Melting Pot will be his first sit-down restaurant.

He will handle the front-of-house duties and has hired Shawn Scheivert to take the reins in the kitchen.

Scheivert, 39, is a Glen Rock native who worked at some of the county’s notable restaurants, from the Glen Rock Mill Inn to The First Post in Springettsbury Township.

Under Montanarelli’s guidance, Scheivert has been crafting a menu around a solid breakfast and American favorites for lunch and dinner.

While breakfast items include the usual staples, and the restaurant will have American items like crab cakes and roasted chicken, Scheivert plans to diversify the menu with different ethnic dishes from Latin or Thai cuisine as daily specials.

“He wanted to bring a flair to the fact that America is full of different people with different tastes for food,” Scheivert said.

After living in Glen Rock the last few years, Scheivert knows it’ll be a challenge to get the community into the restaurant, but feels he has the key to success.

“It’s consistency,” Scheivert said. “We’re the new kid on the block. They’re not going to give us a chance until they feel we’ve been here long enough… Once we get them in the door, we can provide them with the good quality.”

Despite his own lack of experience and a potentially tough crowd, Montanarelli isn’t scared of his new venture.

“(I have) absolutely no concerns,” Monatarelli said. “I hope that people will like the food and give us a chance.”